Freica Draft 1

        "I'm sorry, but we hafta break up." His voice was quiet. Calm. He was always like that, evidently even when making decisions that change lives. Her mind was the opposite of his voice – filled with something like the brisk winter winds people spoke of from records of humanity's time on Earth; it howled with rage, trying to find the meaning behind this sudden loss.

        "Why, Christopher? Aren't you happy with me?" She stepped forward, holding her hands outward, but limp. She reminded him of a doll, one of the porcelain ones his grandmother had on the ship, in her blank expression. He felt the small hairs on the back of his neck spring up at once. She continued approaching, but he stepped back slowly.

        "Listen, it's not that I wasn't happy, it's just that, while we were on the ship for the last part of the trip to this second Earth, I always felt like nothin' was more important than you 'n me. When you're enclosed in a ship, there ain't much to think about but who you're with at the time, right? But now that we been here on the planet for this past year, I wanna get out and see the world." She stopped walking, her head lowered but still looking straight at him. It almost felt like she was looking straight through him.

        "See the world..." She repeated in a murmur, "I could come with you." She said, hoping that he had just been stupid enough not to consider that. But of course, her hope was ill-founded.

        "No. I..." He stumbled over his words, searching for the right ones, "It's just that... You been getting really clingy since we got off the ship. I dunno, I feel like it'd hold me back. And maybe that it's holding you back."

        "Of course I got clingy." Her eyes suddenly focused, no longer staring through him, "I knew everything was going to change once we got off the ship. You're just proving my point."

        "But that's my point. Everything changed, and I need'ta pursue that, now that people have a new world. I think that'd be healthier f'r you, too." Of course he would. He probably just meant that he wanted to run away with that slut down the road. Again, that howling rage built up, only this time, it seemed to say something to her. Freica. The blasting winds in her mind repeated the word over and over again. She took another step forward.

        He stepped backward, realizing with sudden clarity that talking to her about this in the alley between their houses may have been a catastrophic idea. She was small, though. He had no plans to hurt her, but if he had to, he could probably just power his way past her. She stopped, letting out a small sigh, letting a single tear run down her cheek.

        "Fine." She whispered, her body beginning to shake a bit. Sadness fluttered like butterflies through his stomach, reminding him of the gravity of the situation. Still, it was not like he stopped caring for her altogether, and he felt a twinge of guilt at making her feel so bad, "I suppose I'll have to let you go." Glancing up at him, she wiped another tear from her eyes, "Can I at least have one last hug?"

       A sad smile spread across his face, replacing the fear. It was warm, reflecting his good intentions behind his decisions, but she saw none of that warmth. Instead, her eyes twisted the expression into a triumphant smirk, "Of course you can." He told her. The warmth in his voice went unnoticed by her ears, as well. He stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace that truly felt final. It was his turn for a tear to roll down his cheek.

       She could not believe her luck. All over the world, stories of people developing nearly magical powers from a new element in the new world's atmosphere were springing up. They were calling the phenomena 'Keywords.' She new the stories well enough to know the word in her mind for what it was. As she pulled him close, she focused on it, resting his hands on his back.

        As he held her, his mind played like a picture show through all the memories he had with her. As it flickered from scene to scene, he began to doubt his decision. Perhaps he could explore the world with her. Things could get better if it was just them out in the wilderness by themselves. Deep down, part of his mind also wondered if her hands had always been as chilly as what he felt on his back right now. He opened his mouth to speak his new thoughts – to apologize and ask her to come with him instead. In the exact same instant, she opened her mouth, too.

        "Listen, I--"

        "Freica."